6. Superfund South

(a.k.a. Gowanus)

Because a toxic canal is no match for a burgeoning nightlife district.

The Septic Riviera it may be. But the action in Gowanus has only continued to amp up since its waterway was named a Superfund site last year. Joining an existing slew of nightspots are local booze-slingers like Halyards and the music hall going up on Second Avenue. There are daytime traffic generators, too: the coffee-pouring and pie-making operations Crop to Cup and Four & Twenty Blackbirds, plus artist-minded work spaces. And if those aren’t legitimizing enough, a Whole Foods will, someday, rise from a brownfield on Third Avenue and 3rd Street.